Rail-joint.



PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903.

J. SUMMIT. RAIL JOINT.

WITNESSES.

A TTORNE VS UNITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 748,437, dated December 29, 1903.

Application filed May 13, 1903. Serial No. 156,921. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. SUMMIT, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lafollette, in the county of Campbell and State of Tennessee, have made certain new and useful Improvements in RailJoints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in railjoints, having for an object, among others, to provide means for preventing any swinging of the ends of the rails out of alinement,which is a fertile cause of derailment and wrecks; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rail-joint embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof on about line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on about line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In rail-joints if the end of one rail projects slightly laterally beyond the line of the abutting rail the flange of the wheel striking such laterally-projecting end is likely to be derailed and if not the jar given the end of the rail has a tendency to loosen the nuts on the bolts of the joint and frequently cause the said nuts to spin ofi the bolts. By my invention I provide means by which to stay and brace the joint and so prevent any movement of the ends of the rails out of alinement and also for locking the nuts for the application of the auxiliary or brace plate to joints already applied, as well as to joints in the laying of track and to joints which occur between ties or directly over a tie, as may happen in embodying my invention in tracks already constructed.

In an experience of many years of practicalrailroad-track construction and repair I have found that many accidents result from slight lateral movements of the ends of the rails at the joints, and my object in the present invention is to securely brace and reinforce the joint and to prevent the nuts from becoming loose and for embodying the improvements in new or old work, as may be required.

The rails A are lapped by the fish-plates B, secured by thebolts C and nuts D, spikes E securing the fish-plates and rail-bars A to the ties F, notches a and I) being formed in the edges of the rail-bases A and the bases B of the fish-plates B to receive the said spikes E.

The fish-plates B have the base wings or plates B and the upright wings B The basewings B extend outwardly to the outer edges of the rail base A and preferably curve downwardly to the ties F.

The auxiliary or brace plate G is composed of the outer or base wing G, the intermediate or inclined wing G and the inner or upright wing G and may be cast, drop-forged, or otherwise suitably produced. The base-wing G extends outwardly beyond the outer edges of the rail-base A and base-wing B of the fish-plate and is provided with the openings H in the form of slots near its ends and with the opening H about midway between its ends. These openings H H receive the spikes J, by which the plate G is secured to the ties, the spikes being driven through openings H when the joint occurs between two ties and through the opening H when the joint occurs immediately above a tie. Thus the improvement can be conveniently embodied in joints wherever they may occur with relation to the ties.

The intermediate or inclined wing G fits over the wing B of the fish-plate and is provided with openings I to receive the heads of the spikes E, said openings I being coincident with the notches a and b in the plates A and B, as before described.

The inner or upright wing G fits fiat against the upright wing 13 of the fish-plate and bears beneath the nuts D and so operates to prevent any turning thereof, the plates G being held firmly between the nuts D and the spikes J and operating to firmly reinforce the fishplate and operate as before described.

The construction is simple, cheap, and can be easily embodied in the rail-joints, as desired.

It will be noticed that the nuts form abutments for the inner edge of the auxiliary or brace plate, which extends thence outwardly over the base-plates of the rails resting on the ties outside the said base-plates and are secured at their outer ends to the said ties.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improved rail-joint herein described,

comprising the rails, the fish-plates having the base-plates extending out over the baseplates of ,the rails, coincident notches being provided 'in the outer edges of said baseplates, the spikes in said notches, the bolts and nuts, the ties, the auxiliary or brace plate having the outer wing resting on the ties outside the base-plates of the rail and fish-plate, and provided with the spike-openings at its middle and near its ends, the spikes in said openings, the intermediate wing conformed to and fitting over the base-wing of the fish-plate and having openings receiving and encircling the heads of the spikes securing said fish-plate and rail, and the inner or upright wing bearing beneath the nuts of the joint, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. An auxiliary or brace plate for railjoints, having an inner upright wing to fit beneath the nuts of the joint, an intermediate wing curved to conform to and fit upon the base of the fish-plate, and provided between the outer and inner edges of said intermediate wing with openings to receive the heads of the spikes securing the fish-plates and rails, whereby the said heads may be encircled by the walls of said openings, and the flat wing extending outwardly from the outer edge of the intermediate wing, and provided near its ends with spike-openings and between its ends with a spikeopening, whereby the brace-plate is adapted for use whether the joint occur between the ties or over a tie, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN F. SUMMIT.

Witnesses:

SoLoN O. KEMoN, PERRY B. TUBPIN. 

